What You've Never Looked For
by subtlesincerity
Summary: Swan Queen AU Teenage Emma/Regina. Emma, sick of being tossed around from one foster home to another, runs away and finds herself in Storybrooke in the company of Regina.
1. Chapter 1

**What You've Never Looked For - Part 1**

_AU Teenage Emma/Regina. Emma, sick of being tossed around from one foster home to another, runs away and finds herself in Storybrooke in the company of Regina._

Emma had packed her duffle bag full of everything that she owned. It wasn't much, by any means, and she could carry every bit of it. She waited at the bus stop with the money that she had stolen from her most recent foster mom – she was not proud of this at all, but it was the only way that she would be able to get out of Boston for good.

How can a couple be so happy to have her as their child, and then realize that she just isn't worth their time anymore? Sure, they had just had their own baby by some miracle, but that shouldn't mean that she would be wanted any less. Emma wasn't sad, she was just numb. Feelings were not something that she would ever let run her life.

The bus pulled up and Emma gave the driver the ticket that she had bought at the station. She found an empty seat and put her bag on the ground and sat down with her back against the window and her feet propped up on the chair next to her and fell asleep.

-

Emma woke with a start still in the same position that she fell asleep in on the bus. She had no idea how long she had been asleep for and even less of a clue where she was. The bus was pulling off of the highway and drove down a one lane road with very few lights. They finally passed a sign that said "Storybrooke, Maine" and the bus pulled over.

Emma thought that this would be as good of a place as any to get off. So, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the front door saying a polite "Thank you," to the bus driver as she passed. No one else got off, which made Emma very curious as to where she had ended up at.

Emma continued walking down the road as the bus turned around and headed back towards the highway. The road was surrounded by thick trees on both sides which made Emma a little uneasy.

She continued walking when she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned around with a start to see a girl about her age with long black wavy hair and olive skin. She was looking down and holding her arm as if she had just been badly hurt.

Emma dropped her bag and ran over to her. The girl lifted her head to look up at her and Emma noticed her brown eyes seemed glazed over and expressionless. She didn't know what this girl was doing out here so late at night seemingly by herself, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"Who are you?" The girl asked as Emma put her arm around her to help carry her.

"Emma. " She replied as the two of them hobbled down the road presumably towards town. "Who are you?"

"Regina."


	2. Chapter 2

**What You've Never Looked For - Part 2**

_What the hell was she doing out there?_ Emma thought as she helped Regina struggle down the road. What seemed like downtown Storybrooke was now in sight and the two were headed towards it.

Regina hadn't said anything since she had told Emma her name, but she seemed to be starting to feel a little better since Emma could feel that she didn't need her as much of a support anymore. Emma, not meaning to be selfish, wished that Regina would just walk by herself because supporting someone about her own size as well as carrying everything she owned was becoming daunting.

"Let me go, I don't need any help." Regina said.

Emma gladly let her go and Regina stood seemingly fine by herself, so she let her walk a few steps on her own. "I'm fine. I'm going to go home now." Regina said again.

Emma was shocked more by her tone than the fact that she wanted to be alone, so she stood frozen for a few seconds. It wasn't Emma's job to help her get all the way to town, she wasn't forced to do this. Some kind of thank you Regina was giving her.

"Well, you're welcome!" she called after Regina with an obvious tone of irony.

Regina turned around even though she had only made it a few feet from where Emma stood. "Excuse me?"

_For being someone who had clearly had a long night, she was being very confrontational_, Emma thought. Emma opened her mouth to reply, but Regina cut her off.

"What are you doing here in Storybrooke anyway? Who are you?" Regina said.

"I'm..." Emma didn't know quite how to answer her. "I'm just visiting I guess."

"Visiting? And you chose here?"

"Here is as good of a place as any." Emma snapped back. She was used to having to defend herself, but not necessarily to someone that she had just met.

Regina raised one of her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "Just don't get too comfortable. People don't usually come here, and there's a good reason."

"What the hell are-" Emma started, but Regina had already turned to leave and was clearly not going to respond.

She watched Regina walk out of sight and down a nearby street. _Some welcome_… _And how did she know that I'm not from here? _Emma asked herself. It wasn't everyday that she came across someone that she could match wits with, though something about Regina annoyed her. _Who did this girl think she was? It's not like she owns the place._

Once Emma started to walk more around downtown, she understood how Regina would've known that she wasn't actually from Storybrooke. The "downtown" was really only a few blocks and consisted of local boutiques, and the surrounding streets were full of smaller houses. The town did not even begin to compare to the size of Boston. Emma was not one to willingly go to a small town because of the mentality often found there - she did not care what people did with their lives, and she certainly did not want anyone to care about hers.

Another thing about small towns is that Emma was sure that no one was awake this late at night. She glanced up at the clock tower that stood in the middle of the downtown area. "8:15?" She said. She wasn't quite sure what time it actually was, but she know that 8:15 wasn't right. It was probably about 2:30 am if she had to guess.

She took a left at the clock tower and wandered down a quant street to look for a hotel, but by the looks of the town she was more likely to run into a bed and breakfast - it really didn't matter as long as she could put her bag down and sleep.

Nothing labeled "inn," "hotel," or anything similar was in sight, and Emma was about to give up when she saw a light on in one of the shops. With nothing to lose, she knocked on the door of what she noticed was labeled "Mr. Gold's Pawnshop." She tried to peek through the window next to the door, but she couldn't see anything behind the mounds of items piled in front of it. The shop looked like the place where everything that had ever been lost ended up.

Soon enough, a tall and very thin man opened the door. His hair was long for someone his age and his eyes were harsh and completely fixed on Emma. "Can I help you, dearie?" The man said.

"Yeah. I just arrived here, and I'm looking for a place to stay. Is there a hotel around? Or really anything will do." Emma replied.

"Oh, a visitor, eh? Well, that's new. I'm Mr. Gold and welcome to Storybrooke." He spoke slowly and in a way that made Emma feel like he was demeaning her. She wasn't sure how to respond, and she was sure that her face revealed the same confusion. "A place to stay? You'd want Granny's, its just a few blocks down that way."

Mr. Gold pointed with his cane in the direction that Emma had already been walking. "Thank you so much for your help. Sorry if I bothered you."

Emma turned to leave and started walking away. "Wait a minute, dearie. What is your name?" Mr. Gold asked.

Emma turned around hesitantly, "Umm, Emma."

"Emma…" he said, saying her name as if he had heard it somewhere before. "That's a good name. You're welcome, Emma." Mr. Gold smiled and gave off a sound that Emma assumed was a laugh, but it sent a shiver down her spine. Between Mr. Gold and Regina, Storybrooke did not seem like the most welcoming place that she had ever been.

A few blocks away, just as Mr. Gold had said, Emma found Granny's Inn which was next door to Granny's Cafe - which Emma assumed was owned by the same person. Emma opened up the door and looked around, she couldn't spot anyone and could barely make out what was in the room through the dim light from the streetlights outside. She threw her bag on the floor with relief; it wasn't very heavy but she had grown tired of carrying it.

Emma spotted a bell on the check in desk and gave it a ring. The bell was so dusty that she had to wipe her hand on her jeans afterwards - clearly people did not come to Granny's Inn very much. Or maybe they just didn't come to Storybrooke.

Emma heard a stair creek and saw a light come from a room off to the side of the check in room where she stood. "Hello?" someone called.

"Hi. I'm looking for a room?" Emma questioned.

An elderly woman appeared at the end of the stairs. She was in her nightgown, had curlers in her hair, and was fiddling with her glasses in order to put them on right. This was clearly Granny. "Well, you've come to the right place. How long are you planning to stay?"

"I think I'll take it on a night by night basis." Emma replied.

Granny smiled. "Alright, I will give you the room with the best view. During the day you can see all of downtown!" Emma gave the woman a half-hearted smile. Granny was being very nice, but Emma was not in the mood for small talk and just wanted to sleep. Granny opened a drawer and got a key out and handed it to Emma. "Let me just put you down in the book. What is your name?"

"I'm Emma."

"Well, Emma, welcome to Storybrooke!" Granny said.

Emma followed Granny up the stairs to where all of the rooms were. Granny was telling her all about the cafe and the food that they serve, but Emma was only half listening. "I'd love to make you some breakfast tomorrow, just come down in the morning. Well, this is your room. I'm just down the hall if you need anything. My granddaughter, Ruby, is across the hall from me. You can meet her tomorrow. She's about your age! Well, have a good night, Emma."

"Goodnight." Emma replied as she threw her bag down for good on the desk next to her bed. She took off her boots, threw them on the floor, and flung herself on the bed and immediately fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**What You Never Looked For - Part 3**

**A/N:** _This part is extra long because I'm going to be away for a few days, but I really wanted to get it out there. Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, etc! It really means a lot and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Much love to you all!_

* * *

The sun was shining in Emma's face, which forced her to open her eyes. She had fallen asleep so quickly last night that she had forgotten to close the curtains in her room. She rolled over so that her back was to the window and covered her face with an extra pillow, hoping that would block out any sun and would help her get back to sleep. It worked to get rid of any sunlight in her face, but she could not fall back asleep. Emma threw the pillow on the floor and sighed. _Well, I guess that means that I should get up._

Emma unwillingly rolled herself out of bed and walked over to the curtains. She did have a nice view of downtown, as Granny had promised, but there wasn't even much to look at in the downtown area besides the windows of some shops and the occasional car that passed by. The clocks still showed 8:15, and Emma hoped with every part of her being that that was not true. There was no clock in her room, so she truly had no idea what time it was, but she had already woken herself up. So, Emma closed the curtains and got ready for the day.

-

Once she was showered and dressed, Emma made her way downstairs. No one was around Granny's Inn, and that's when she remembered Granny's invitation from last night to come down to the café for breakfast. She still hoped that that offer still stood – or that it was even still remotely breakfast time.

Granny's Café was actually quite full, much to Emma's surprise. Emma stood awkwardly in the doorway not quite sure what to do, so she kept shifting her weight from side to side and put her hands in the back pocket of her jeans and waited for someone to tell her what to do.

"Good morning!" Granny said with a smile as she passed carrying two plates of food to a nearby table.

Emma smiled. "Good morning." She replied.

"Grab yourself a table, and I'll bring you over some breakfast. Well, now it's more like lunch, I suppose. Either way, make yourself comfortable!" Granny said as she hurried off to deliver the food in her hands.

Emma made her way across the café to where it was much less crowded and grabbed herself a booth by the window. She sat in the corner and put her feet up onto the bench opposite her. Emma was looking around the café at all of the people. They all seemed very plain and typical small town residents. She didn't know why her first impressions of the townspeople of Storybrooke had to have been Regina and Mr. Gold. No one else seemed like them.

"Hi!"

Emma snapped out of her daydream to notice the waitress standing at the edge of the booth. She had long dark hair with some streaks of red in it. She wore a red sundress with a half apron over it and had on a little too much make-up for being around the same age as Emma. "I'm Ruby. You're Emma right?"

Emma nodded.

"You're the one staying with my Granny and I?"

Emma nodded again.

"Well, great! We should do something together. I get off at 1:30. I can show you the town if you want. There's not much to see, but I suppose it's something, especially if you haven't been here before. There's a few cool places, like the forests and maybe you'd even like to wander around downtown. Like I said, there's not much – " Ruby said.

"Sure, that'd be great." Emma replied.

"Great, I'll just meet you right here when I get off. Here's a menu, let me know what you want. Granny says that whatever you want is on us. A little welcome gift." Ruby said with a smile.

"I think I'm just in the mood for some eggs and toast. And some hot chocolate with a sprinkle of cinnamon."

"Great! I'll put it in for you!" Ruby said as she wrote Emma's order down on her notepad and walked away.

Ruby seemed like a really nice person, but she had a lot more energy than Emma had even on a good day.

While she waited for her food, Emma looked back at the people who were still in the café. Many of them were in mid conversation with someone, but all of them appeared to be happy people. So, why wouldn't people come here?

Emma glanced out of the window, there were a few cars that passed by, but generally the streets seemed pretty empty. She looked across the street and saw Regina walking by. Regina lifted her head and looked directly at Emma from across the street, she noticed Emma in the window and froze.

"Ugh, go away." Ruby said under her breath as she noticed Regina. But, she smiled and politely waved, which got Regina to continue walking.

"Who is that? I mean, I know her name is Regina, I ran into her on my way here last night." Emma said as Ruby put her food and hot chocolate on the table.

Ruby looked around, presumably to see if Granny was watching her. She was in the clear, so she sat down across from Emma. Ruby lowered her voice and said, "Just don't get mixed up with her. Nothing good ever happens. I mean personally, I've never tried to hang out with her. But everyone that does just gets their heart ripped out. Literally."

Emma's eyes got really big and she didn't know what to say.

Ruby chuckled, which turned into hysterical laughter. "I'm just kidding! I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it! You should've seen your face! I mean Regina is a creepy person, she doesn't really have any friends. Her mom is one of those crazy parents that obsesses over every little part of Regina's life. Ok, I need to get back to work, we can leave in like half an hour. And again, I'm sorry. It was just too easy!" Ruby said as she smiled and headed to check on costumers at a nearby table.

Emma couldn't help but smirk. She didn't ever really have anyone else in her life that she could ever joke with. Maybe she had finally found a friend. Or, at least the beginnings of a friendship.

-

"Ugh, I can't wait to get out of here. I'm so ready to just leave." Ruby said as Emma shoved the last bit of toast into her mouth. "You ready? I'm an excellent tour guide!"

Emma put down her fork and finished chewing. "Yeah, let's go." They both got up and headed towards the exit. Ruby hung her apron on a hook next to the door, and met Emma outside.

"So, we can wander around downtown first, or we can start more towards the edge of town and work our way across." Ruby said. She was clearly more into this than Emma was herself.

"Well, we're already here, we should just start from the cafe." Emma said.

Ruby smiled and looked around. "Well, there's not much here, but this is Granny's. I work the busy shifts to help her out just about every day. Its the best place to eat in town and practically everyone comes here. There's not much else around this side of town. So, what are you doing here in Storybrooke?"

"Honestly, I came here to get away. I'm from Boston. Well, from a foster home in Boston. I've been there forever and it was too much. So, I came here because anywhere is better than somewhere where you are clearly not wanted." Emma replied. She could see that she was crushing Ruby's optimistic persona, so she smiled and gave a little chuckle.

"You know, I guess you're right. Everyone here just seems like they're stuck in this routine. No one comes here, well until you showed up, and no one really leaves. I feel like I'm stuck here, but I don't want to be, you know?" Ruby replied.

Emma nodded. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean." Emma said as she looked at the ground.

"Oh! Actually I should point out some things over here. So, that is Mr. Gold's shop," Ruby said as she pointed to the left. "He sort of runs this place, like the entire town. No one really likes him, but he is always involved in everything. And really, he creeps me out. He's got this smile like he knows everything about you, and really I hope that that isn't true. And that, over there is the clock tower. Its been broken since forever I guess. I don't really know why anyone hasn't fixed it, but it doesn't really bother anyone anymore..." Ruby said.

"Yeah, I was wondering that last night when I got in. I knew it wasn't right. But, what is the deal with Mr. Gold? He actually gave me directions to the Inn last night. He owns this entire town and he chooses to run a pawn shop?" Emma replied.

Ruby stopped walking and stood in front of Emma. "I don't know much about Mr. Gold, and I really don't want to. But trust me on this, he is not someone you should want to know either. He's the kind of person that never forgets. If he makes a deal with you, he will never let you live it down. He knows when people are desperate and uses it to get what he wants. That's how he owns this town."

Emma laughed. "Right, sure. You are such a liar." She said, hoping that Ruby was pretending to be fake, the same way that she was regarding Regina earlier at the cafe. When she realized that Ruby was not giving in, she said, "Oh, you're serious? OK then. Noted."

"Well, anyway. What was Boston like? I haven't ever left Storybrooke, but I'd love to go somewhere else one day." Ruby said as they continued walking across town.

"It's….busy. There's a lot to do, but its not like I spent a lot of time seeing the city. I was passed from family to family a lot. I've learned how to just blend in." Emma said. She hadn't ever opened up to anyone as fast as she had been with Ruby. She didn't want to screw up the first pseudo-friendship that she had ever found, so she decided to stop talking so much about herself.

Ruby chuckled, "Well, blending in is all you need to fit in here!" She said.

A rather pale girl with short black hair was walking towards them. She had a smile on her face and waved at Ruby, the three girls were all around the same age. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Ruby said to the girl.

"Hey! I'm just going for a walk, and you?" The girl replied.

Ruby motioned towards Emma. "I'm showing Emma here the wonderful town of Storybrooke. She's staying with us and she's never been here before. Emma, this is Mary Margaret."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Mary said as she stuck out her hand. Emma shook it and smiled.

"Do you want to come with? Because it really takes two to be able to show someone all that Storybrooke has to offer." Ruby said as she laughed.

Mary Margaret chuckled and said, "Sure, what all have you seen so far?"

"We just started at the cafe, and now we're here." Emma said. They were just a little past the clock tower, so they had covered about half of downtown, Emma guessed.

"Well, you see that building over there?" Mary said. She pointed at the nicest building around. It really stuck out in the middle of all of the more vintage shops around. "That is where my father works. He's the mayor of Storybrooke."

"That means Mary can do anything she wants." Ruby said.

Mary gave Ruby a playful slap on the upper arm. "It is not! It means I have to be even more behaved because word always gets around here. You can't breathe sometimes without everyone knowing."

"Great. That sounds…awesome." Emma replied.

"Emma is from Boston." Ruby said.

"Oh, thats awesome! I've always wanted to go there. I haven't ever really left town. My father is always so busy." Mary Margaret replied. She was beginning to really realize that no one ever did leave Storybrooke.

The three of them had finished walking all through the downtown area, so they looped back around down a nearby street filled with houses. Each one looked relatively similar, just a different color. Emma listened as Ruby and Mary talked about some other people that they both knew. She chimed in occasionally, but mainly just listened. When they got to the other edge of the street, which did take a while because they had started at Granny's Cafe which was in the middle of the first street that they had walked down, Mary pointed out her house. It was a rather large, white mansion will columns in the front. Being the daughter of the mayor clearly had its perks. "I should probably just head in. It will be dinner time soon." Mary said as she gave both Ruby and Emma a hug. "Nice to meet you Emma, hope to see you around!"

"She seems nice." Emma said to Ruby.

"Yeah, I really like her. She's my best friend." Ruby replied as they started walking again. "And that house over there -" Ruby pointed to a nearby house that was equally as nice as Mary's, just smaller, "That is Regina's house. I don't want to have to talk to her, let's head back to Granny's."

"What's so bad about her anyway?" Emma said.

Ruby frowned. "I told you, she's just…weird. No one really likes her, but its really her mother that is the monster. What, why? You want to be her friend?"

"I mean I could. I don't try to _not _be friends with people." Emma replied. As soon as she said it, she know that she sounded defensive.

"I guess so. Its just that - no one really knows her. She doesn't ever _want_ to let people in." Ruby said.

Emma gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, I know the type." She didn't ever let people in while she was in the foster care system because she knew that it would soften the blow when she had to leave them. It was easier not to get attached in the first place.

"But anyway. So that was pretty much Storybrooke. Like I said, there isn't much. There is a park a few blocks down, but other than that it is just more houses."

"Seems…quant." Emma replied. "And people like to stay here all of their lives?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I've never really thought about it. I guess no one really has a reason to leave."

"Not even to just go sight-seeing or have a weekend away? Everyone needs some time out from the norm." Emma said.

"I guess not anyone here. It's weird. I can't really explain it." Ruby said. By now they were back at Granny's Inn. Ruby and Emma went inside and sat in the common area on the first floor. Emma hadn't really noticed it the night before, but there were a few couches surrounding a fire place. It was really homey, and Emma took her boots off and put her feet up.

She and Ruby talked more about the town. Ruby went on a rather long rant about how there were no cute guys in town. Emma honestly could've cared less, but she nodded along and was more enthralled with the way that Ruby talked about everything with such enthusiasm and passion. _I could never do that, it would be way too exhausting._

Just after dark, Granny came in with three bowls of soup on a tray. "Dinner break!" She said as she passed a bowl to Emma. "It has been so busy lately, I just need to catch a break. You sure you don't want to work more, Ruby?"

Ruby glared at her Granny, half jokingly. Emma laughed. "Do you need more help around the cafe?" Emma said.

"Are you interested?" Granny said, clearly needing all of the help that she could get.

"Well, yeah, sure. I don't know how long I'll be in town for, but I don't plan on leaving really anytime soon." Emma replied as she ate more of the soup.

Granny was trying to contain her excitement. "I'll tell you what. If you can help me out with the dinner shifts and the lunch shifts on weekends sometimes, you can stay with us for free and I can also give you some extra cash to have spending money."

"What?! That's not fair!" Ruby said.

"Hush, you get the same thing. I let you live here for free don't I?"

Emma did not even have to really think about the offer. "Sounds perfect."

"Great, you start tomorrow." Granny said.

Emma continued eating her soup as Granny told them stories of what had happened in the cafe that day - like some man named Leroy had spilled his food everywhere, which is something that he did pretty often by the sound of it. For not liking small towns very much, Emma found Storybrooke charming. She finally started to feel like she actually belonged somewhere.


	4. Chapter 4

**What You Never Looked For - Part 4**

Emma didn't really know what to expect for her first day on the job at Granny's. She knew that just about everyone in Storybrooke came there, but her lack of waitress expertise was no match for the slew of people that filled themselves into the cafe that evening. Ruby had briefly explained everything earlier, but Emma really just understood how to ask people what they wanted, write it down, and take it to the back. She was not very good, however, with small talk or memorizing the specials.

Emma stood in the doorway to the kitchen just staring at all of the people sitting around the cafe. She had on her waitress uniform, but did not feel like she could do this.

"Just relax. It's not as bad as you're thinking. Seriously, you look terrified. Just smile." Ruby said.

Emma smiled as sincerely as she could, but was sure she must've looked like she was in pain. "That's…..good enough! Alright, ready?" Ruby said.

"As ready as I can be." Emma put her long blonde hair up in a ponytail and headed over to a table with a few customers that Emma hadn't seen around town. They were nuns, so Emma was hoping that they'd forgive her if she made any mistakes.

Emma smiled and tried to look less in pain than before, but she was sure that she didn't look much different. "Welcome to Granny's Cafe. What can I get you tonight?" Emma said as she pulled out the notepad and pencil from inside her apron.

"I'll have the roast beef sandwich on wheat bread and a water." One of them replied.

"That sounds great actually, I'll have the same thing." The other said.

The first woman gave Emma a confused look and said, "You don't look familiar, are you new in town?"

"Yeah. I'm Emma. I just came in a few days ago."

The nuns both smiled. "Welcome! We haven't had anyone new in so long. I can't really remember when the last visitor was here actually. Well, I hope you enjoy Storybrooke."

Emma smiled, an actual real smile this time, and politely thanked the nuns as she headed to the back to put their order in and grab them some waters. Now that she had actually started working, this did not seem so hard. She helped table after table with just as much ease, which really helped build up her confidence, though it seemed like everyone wanted to know her name and ask her when she arrived Storybrooke. It was the small town mentality of having to know everyone, though Emma felt bad because she was terrible at remembering anyone's name and could only recall a few after they had introduced themselves.

As the night went on, people started to leave and soon there were only a few tables left. It was about half an hour before closing, so there really wasn't much to do. Emma and Ruby were standing in the front ready to seat anyone if they chose to come. "No one really comes this late. I think we're safe." Ruby said. "And, how was it? As painful as you thought?"

"Not bad at all actually. I think I can do this. Thanks for showing me how-"

"Oh no, no no. No! You handle it. I refuse!" Ruby said as she stomped off to the back of the cafe.

Emma looked up from the hostess stand and saw Regina coming through the door. Ruby always went out of her way to avoid Regina, but, other than Regina being snippy with her, Emma had no reason to hate the girl. Regina opened the front door as Emma smiled at her. Regina did not smile back and, if anything, Emma thought her look turned even colder.

"Welcome to Granny's! I can get you a table right over here." Emma said as she grabbed a menu and started walking to an empty table nearby.

Regina did not say anything, but just followed. She threw her black purse into the booth seat and slid in after it. "Tonight, the special is a chicken and pasta dish sort of thing, I really can't remember what it is called. Sorry, it's my first day. But, I can grab you a drink or-"

"You're working here now?" Regina said. Her scowl turned into a look of shock.

"What? Why? You don't think I'm waitress material?" Emma said. In the few days that she had known Regina, she had never seen the girl smile, so she was trying to do just that. It wasn't working.

"Clearly. You don't even know what the specials are." Regina said as she opened up the menu.

Emma gave a sort of nervous laugh and took out her notepad and pen. "Well, its only day one, so I'm trying. Can I get you anything?"

"Just a hot chocolate." Regina said as she handed the menu back to Emma and turned her head away to look out of the window.

Emma went back to the kitchen where Ruby was sitting. "So, do you hate her yet?" Ruby said.

"What? No, of course not. She just said that she didn't think I'm waitress material, and ordered a hot chocolate."

Ruby smirked. "See. A real bitch, right?"

"No! Really, I don't hate her. I don't understand why the rest of this town does." Emma said as she picked out a clean mug for Regina's hot chocolate.

"She's just always so mean to people. For no reason! She doesn't even know you and she doesn't think that you're a good waitress. Who says something like that _to their waitress_? You should spit in that hot chocolate." Ruby said with total seriousness.

Emma filled the mug with hot chocolate and topped it was whip cream. "It doesn't really bug me. I've heard worse." Emma said as she turned and headed back out to the front of the cafe.

When she got to her table, Regina was still looking out of the window. Emma could only see Regina's face in the reflection, but she could clearly see that Regina had been crying. "Here's your hot chocolate. I put a little extra wipped cream on it, I thought it looked nice." Emma said with a huge smile and more enthusiasm than she had ever mustered before.

"Umm, thanks." Regina said as she wiped her eye with her sleeve.

Emma sat down in the booth across from her. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Regina said.

"No, really. You look upset. Maybe you just want to talk to some-"

"I said I'm fine." Regina said again, this time much more sternly.

Emma started to get out of the booth and head back to the kitchen. Maybe Ruby was right, Regina was really demanding and harsh. "Wait." Regina said.

Emma turned back around. "I don't really want to talk about it. But will you just sit here? I could just use some company." Regina said.

Emma glanced around the cafe, and opposite of Regina there was only one other table with an elderly couple that Ruby had been waiting on. She wasn't sure what had changed in Regina, but she wanted to comfort her anyway. "Sure. Yeah, I can do that." Emma said as she sat back down and faced Regina.

"What are you doing in Storybrooke anyway?" Regina said. Emma knew Regina was sincerely trying to find out why she was here, but the way she said it came off as if she didn't want her around. Emma hoped that this wasn't true.

"Long story short, I ran away. I hopped on a bus and ended up here." Emma said.

"No one cares that you left? No one is looking for you?"

"As in parents? Or family? No. I don't have any." Emma said. Admitting this before had never gotten to her, but for some reason it was now making her uncomfortable so she stared down at the table.

Regina looked out of the window again, she was equally as uncomfortable as Emma. "You're lucky. My mother cares too much. She's always obsessed with everything that I'm doing."

"Is that why you're here by yourself?" Emma asked looked up at Regina.

Regina turned her head and finally looked Emma in the eye. "Sometimes I just have to get away. I just can't take it."

Emma was starting to really get concerned. "What does she do?"

"She always has to know what I'm doing, and if it is not something that is going to help me in the future, she doesn't want me to do it. I can't do anything fun. Really, I can't." Regina said.

"From the sound of it, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of fun things to do in Storybrooke anyway." Emma said.

Regina finally smiled. Nothing big, but it was still a smile. Emma smiled back which made them both laugh. "Well, I guess you're right about that."

Emma noticed Ruby cleaning the tables since it was getting close to closing time. "I really should go help her clean everything." Emma said.

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks for sitting with me." Regina said as they both stood up.

Emma liked talking to Regina, despite what Ruby had said. "It will only take a few minutes. Do you want to wait outside and we can go for a walk or something?" Emma said.

Regina smiled again. "Sure. I'll just be outside."

Emma smiled back and started to clear Regina's table. Ruby starting walking over and said, "What the hell was that? What are you doing?"

"Making a friend. She is not that bad, Ruby." Emma said.

Ruby was stunned. "Not that bad? Not that bad?! Emma, she is the definition of bad. If you end up in a ditch tonight, I am not going to feel sorry for you. Not one bit."

Emma smirked. "Seriously? You think that is what is going to happen to me for hanging out with Regina?"

"You never know what is going to happen when you hang out with Regina." Ruby said.

"What has happened to you?"

"Nothing. I've never done it." Ruby said as her and Emma carried all of the leftover dishes into the kitchen.

Emma put her stack of dishes down on the counter and turned to face Ruby. "Don't judge her, Ruby. I think she's actually really hurt."

Ruby gave a look of fake empathy. "Aww, really? Well, that's too bad." She said very sarcastically.

Emma rolled her eyes and started to wash her dishes. When she finished, she told Ruby that she'd be back to the Inn sometime later, to which Ruby replied under her breath, "If you survive, that is." Emma hung up her apron by the door and walked over to where Regina was sitting on the curb outside of the cafe.

"Ready?" Emma said.

Regina turned around smiled. Emma couldn't help but smile back; seeing Regina actually happy made Emma equally as happy.

Emma and Regina started walking away from the cafe. Emma and Ruby had been down this way before, but Emma could barely remember where she was. She was terrible with directions and had never really wandered around at night.

"What have you done since you got to Storybrooke?" Regina asked.

"Not much, really. I'm staying with Ruby and her granny at the Inn right by the cafe and now I'm working some. Other than that, Ruby gave me a sort of tour of the town, but I still don't really know anything."

"There's not that much to know, really. From the cafe, if you turn left you'll run into more shops, if you go right, theres a bunch of houses. It's very exciting here." Regina said with a chuckle.

Emma stopped walking. Regina didn't notice until she was a few steps ahead and then she turned around to face her. "Listen, I have to ask about the other night. About when I first came to Storybrooke and I helped you get back to town. What were you doing out there?"

Regina darted her eyes away from Emma's. Emma regretted putting Regina on the spot like this, but she had to know. "Can we just leave this alone? Can you forget about it?" Regina said.

"No. If someone is out there trying to hurt you or something, shouldn't you tell someone? I'm listening." Emma said.

"It's not like that. Really. You shouldn't worry about me. It's not important." Regina said as she turned away from Emma and continued walking down the sidewalk.

Emma sighed. "Regina. Regina! Please." Emma ran in front of Regina and stopped her from walking any further.

Regina crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Its my mother. I told you that she has to control everything in my life. I'm not kidding-"

"Regina? REGINA!" Emma turned around and saw a woman with the same dark hair and eyes as Regina running towards them. The woman pushed Emma out of the way and grabbed Regina's arm and dragged her along behind her. "What the hell are you doing out here so late? We're going home, You're never allowed to leave the house again!"

Regina turned her head around and mouthed, "I'm so sorry," to which Emma replied with a half smile. Emma stood stunned and alone on the sidewalk where she had been pushed to the side and watched them turn down a nearby street and out of sight.

Emma started walking begrudgingly back to Granny's Inn. It had gotten late, so she might as well go to bed. She was walking as if she was on autopilot because her mind kept thinking about Regina. _What was her mother doing to her? Why did she care too much? I should spend more time with Regina, it doesn't matter what Ruby or anyone else in this town-_

"Emma, isn't it?" Emma turned around to see Mr. Gold standing in the doorway of his pawn shop, grinning.

She wasn't sure what he wanted, but she did not want to talk to him any longer than she had to. "Yeah. Emma."

"Emma….Swan?"

"I don't think I ever told you-"

"You didn't have to. Well, Ms. Swan, I see you have a new acquaintance here in Storybrooke. You and Ms. Mills seemed to get a long." Mr. Gold said. He started moving out of the doorway and down to the sidewalk where Emma stood.

"Yeah, I guess." Emma said. She wasn't necessarily afraid of Mr. Gold, but he did make her very uncomfortable.

"Ms. Mills is very complicated. Personally, I don't trust her." Mr Gold said as if he was telling Emma a secret.

"Thanks for the warning, but I think I've got it covered." Emma said as she walked away. Mr. Gold was probably the last person in town that she would take advice from.

"You should watch who you get close with in this town, dearie. People aren't as nice as they always appear to be."

Emma turned around. Mr. Gold stood a few feet from her leaning on his cane and flaunting that same eerie grin he had been wearing since they began talking. She wondered why people always told her not to trust Regina, but no one had mentioned much of anything about Mr. Gold. If anyone in this town was untrustworthy, it was him.


End file.
